If you have no minor children together and both of you agree, your route is: a joint application to the civil registry office, a month’s wait and a state fee of 8.50 UAH. The rest of this page is about the other situations — where there are children, where the other side objects, where one of the spouses is abroad or on military service. In those cases the divorce goes through the courts, and how the application is drafted and the case is run decides whether it takes two months or ten.
A divorce lawyer in Kyiv is needed precisely for court proceedings: so that the other side does not get six months of “reconciliation time” without grounds, so that the court approves the agreement about the children first time, and so that you do not lose property and time with your child along with the marriage.
Two routes to a divorce
Through the civil registry, when everything is straightforward
1 month · 8.50 UAHThe conditions are strict and apply together: no children under 18 and both spouses agree Art. 106 FC.
- A joint application is filed with the civil registry office
- The marriage is dissolved one month after the application is filed, provided it has not been withdrawn Art. 106(2) FC
- State fee of 8.50 UAH
- If one spouse cannot attend in person, they submit a notarised application and the other brings it in
If someone fails to appear on the appointed day, the divorce is not registered and the matter moves to the courts.
Through the courts, where there are children or no agreement
1.5–10 monthsTwo different procedures, and confusing them is expensive.
- Separate (non-contentious) proceedings Art. 109 FC: both agree but there are minor children. A joint application is filed together with an agreement about the children: who they live with, how the other parent takes part in their upbringing, how maintenance is paid. The court checks whether the agreement harms the child’s interests and gives judgment one month after the application is filed (Art. 109(3)). The court fee is 665.60 UAH (0.2 of the subsistence minimum).
- Adversarial proceedings Art. 110 FC: there is no agreement. The claim is filed where the respondent is registered, or where the claimant lives if minor children live with them or health or other valid reasons prevent them travelling; by agreement of the spouses the case may be heard where either of them lives (Art. 27, 28 of the Civil Procedure Code). The court fee is 1,331.20 UAH (0.4 of the subsistence minimum).
The reconciliation period: the main trap
If the other side objects, they almost always ask the court for time to reconcile. The court may stay the case for up to six months (Art. 240(7) of the Civil Procedure Code), and that is the most common way of dragging things out. The court cannot force anyone to stay married: if one spouse insists on dissolution, the marriage will be dissolved — it is only a question of when.
What works against delay is evidence that the marriage has in fact ended: living separately (a tenancy agreement, a certificate of registered residence), separate budgets, correspondence, witness testimony, and a consistent position at every hearing.
With that evidence the court either refuses the reconciliation period or limits it to one or two months instead of six.
When the court will not dissolve a marriage
A claim for divorce cannot be brought during the wife’s pregnancy or within one year of the birth of a child Art. 110(2) FC. This applies to both husband and wife. Clients usually learn of this rule at the consultation, and a claim returned because of it costs the court fee and several months of waiting.
The exceptions (Art. 110(3)–(5) of the Family Code) are narrow: unlawful conduct by one spouse amounting to a criminal offence against the other or the child, or paternity of the child being recognised by another person.
Divorce when you are abroad or on military service
In our cases in 2024–2026, one of the parties is often abroad or serving with their unit.
- The lawyer runs the case without you under a legal services agreement, filing documents through the Electronic Court.
- You can take part in a hearing by video link Art. 212 CPC, including from abroad.
- If you are abroad and the divorce goes through the civil registry, the application can be certified by a notary or a consul and handed to the other spouse.
- If the respondent’s whereabouts are unknown (they have left and are out of contact), the claim is filed at their last known address or where their property is located Art. 28 CPC.
What to file together with the divorce and what to file separately
The “let us divorce first and sort the rest out later” approach sometimes costs a flat.
- Maintenance can be claimed together with the divorce or separately at any time: no limitation period applies.
- Division of property has a deadline: three years from the day you learned your right had been infringed, not from the date of the divorce Art. 72 FC. If there is a risk the assets will be moved, we start the division straight away, together with an application to freeze them.
- Determining the child’s place of residence and contact arrangements: separate claims, often brought in the same proceedings.
How long a divorce takes and what affects the timing
Civil registry: one month from the date of application. Separate proceedings: one month from filing plus time to list the hearing, which in practice means one and a half to two months. A claim with no objection: two to four months. A claim with a reconciliation period: up to ten months. An appeal adds another three to five months, and until the judgment takes legal effect the marriage is treated as not dissolved Art. 114 FC.
The respondent failing to appear, applications for reconciliation, counterclaims for the division of property.
A default judgment after two properly notified non-appearances Art. 280 CPC, evidence of living separately, filing through the Electronic Court and a ready agreement about the children.
A case from our practice
In September 2025 a woman from Kyiv with a seven-year-old child came to us. Her husband had lived separately since 2023 but would not agree to a divorce and, at the first hearing, asked for six months to reconcile. We filed evidence of separate living (our client’s tenancy agreement, correspondence about collecting belongings, a neighbour’s statement) and objections to the reconciliation period. The court limited it to one month and, once it expired, dissolved the marriage and ruled that the child would live with the mother. The whole case took five months, the court fee was 1,331.20 UAH, and the cost fell within court representation for a divorce. (details changed)
How we work
- We identify the route: civil registry, separate proceedings or an adversarial claim.
- We prepare the documents: the claim or joint application, the agreement about the children, evidence that the marriage has ended.
- We file through the Electronic Court without you being present.
- We represent you at hearings, including by video link.
- We counter delaying tactics: we explain why a reconciliation period is pointless and ask for a default hearing where the respondent fails to appear.
- We handle the related claims: maintenance, division of property, the child’s place of residence.
Cost of services
Court fees in 2026: 665.60 UAH for a joint application in separate proceedings, 1,331.20 UAH for a divorce claim; filing through the Electronic Court multiplies the rate by 0.8 (532.48 and 1,064.96 UAH). Each additional claim (division of property, maintenance, the child’s place of residence) is charged separately: 1,331.20 UAH for a non-monetary claim, 1 % of the value for a monetary one, while a claimant seeking maintenance pays no fee. An appeal costs 150 % of the rate. The state fee for a registry-office divorce is 8.50 UAH.
Questions and answers (Divorce lawyer)
My husband does not come to court. Will the marriage be dissolved without him?
Yes. If the respondent was properly notified of the hearing and failed to appear without good reason, the court may give a default judgment (Art. 280 of the Civil Procedure Code). The respondent has 30 days to apply to have that judgment reviewed, so the notices must be served correctly: to the registered address and through the Electronic Cabinet.
We filed the application and then changed our minds. What now?
At the civil registry the application can be withdrawn before the one-month period ends and the marriage will not be dissolved. In court the claimant may discontinue the claim, or both parties may ask for the application in separate proceedings to be left without consideration. The court fee paid is not refunded if you discontinue.
From what date is the marriage treated as ended?
For a registry-office divorce, from the date the dissolution is registered; for a court divorce, from the date the judgment takes legal effect (Art. 114 of the Family Code): 30 days after the full judgment is drawn up, if it is not appealed. You cannot enter a new marriage before that date.
Can I go back to my maiden name?
Yes. Under Art. 113 of the Family Code, after the dissolution each spouse may keep the surname taken during the marriage or revert to the previous one. You state this at the registry office when the dissolution is registered, or when collecting the certificate after the court judgment; you will then need to replace your passport and property documents.
The marriage was registered abroad, or one spouse is a foreign national. Where do we divorce?
A Ukrainian court will hear the case if at least one spouse is a Ukrainian citizen or lives in Ukraine. A foreign marriage certificate must be legalised or apostilled and translated. A Ukrainian judgment is recognised abroad through a separate procedure, so it is sometimes better to divorce in the country where the other spouse lives.
Contact a divorce lawyer at Svarog
Describe your situation: whether there are children, whether the other side agrees, where each of you lives. The lawyer will tell you which route applies (registry office, separate or adversarial proceedings), the realistic timescale and the court fee.